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thanks for the additional replies - perhaps this is off topic of this thread...but not really...typically speaking a hammock setup is a bit bulkier and heavier than a light tent and pad setup? would that be a correct general statement?

I hang my backpack from the suspension line at the end of the hammock. There's nothing in the pack except empty stuff sacks at that point. My water bottle, head lamp and glasses hang from the ridgeline. My food, toiletries & kitchen kit is hanging in a tree far, far away. About the only thing left to deal with are my shoes.

Most people leave them on the ground under the hammock. However, I have had nightmares where some varmint runs off with my shoes and I hike out barefoot! This can be solved by putting them in a sack and staking it to the ground or hanging it within reach.

As to sleeping comfort, I slept like a baby my first night in my hammock.

i can't suggest to strongly, go to a hang, its analogous in sports, to getting a trainer or personal coach, it will save an enormous amount of time in the learning curve, like a golfer going to a good pro, they will look at their swing, set up, everything and in short order help improve instead of the frustration of self trial and error, imo, jim

excellent idea to go to a hang-gathering and check out what other folks have. Perhaps you could even hook up with someone on a weekend in a park near you, for an hour and check out their gear and get some pointers and ideas.

On your bulkier question. Perhaps that is true. I got a cuben tarp, weighs nothing and goes outside the pack anyway. the top and under quilt are, to me, about equivalent to a sleeping bag. But warmer as the UQ isn't compressed. I don't necessarily take a pad with the hammock. But might take the therma-rest, partially inflate it, for extra bottom insulation. Comfort is my thing. I never slept well in a tent. My only trip so far with the hammock, it did take me longer than my tent-dwelling canoe buddy to set up. But when I hurt my back when we crashed the canoe, well one night in the hammock and I was good as new. Better than sleeping at home in the bed!

Call me Junior

Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork
"For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away" Bryan Adams....
"Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes." - sargevining on HF

I've been hammocking for 3 or so years and I still have not got the hang of hanging. I feel like every time I get something figured out and tweak my rig to my likings I find a new and improved way to tweak it again.

As for figuring out comfort, some nights I find that perfect sweet spot while other nights I find I just cant get comfy. However I have always slept more comfortably in a hammock then any night in a tent.

Sometimes I like to hike and think, And sometimes I just like to hike.

Hiking is'ent about waiting for the storm to pass its about learning to hike in the rain.

Took me about 10 hangs before I figured things out and gained confidence in my set up. Going to group hangs helps a lot. Even when you don't need help with your rig, you get to try out different hammocks,see lots of cool gear and get ideas, as well as meet some great people. I now sleep about 3-4 nights a week out in my woods. I don't have as much pain after sleeping in the hammock as I do in my bed.

depends

Gear storage is easy. Having the right pieces of gear coming out/going into the pack in the correct order takes a bit of technique.

I measure the tree distance using my trekking poles, then the poles are leaned against the chosen trees.

The stake/pitch kit is the first item out of my pack. Part of that kit is a line about 20" long that is strung loose between adjacent trees. That line is the temporary storage for insulating coat, under and over quilts. My stake bag is hung from this line. My waterproof map bag is clipped to this storage line.

The hammock is hung and the hammock bag becomes a peak bag to store the insulating coat.

There is a leash on my clothes bag that is attached near the peak bag, the clothes bag becomes a pillow. My damp hiking clothes sometimes are hung over the storage line, sometimes are added to the clothes bag/pillow, sometimes hung over the foot end of the hammock - depends on the weather.

My shoes are either under the hammock or connected with a carabineer and hung over the head end of the hammock - depends on the weather.

The kevlar food bag is tied to a tree some distance from the hammock.

The stove, fuel and water storage are together where I cook. Nothing in this kit needs rain protection, but is light enough that the wind might blow it away.

The contents of my pockets and glasses are stored in the hammock mesh ridge line pockets.

Head lamp is girth hitched to the hammock ridge line. Hygiene bags are clipped to the hammock ridge line with mitten hooks.

Water bottle, shell coat and radio/book/kindle are in the Blackbird shelf.

Nearly empty backpack is hung either on the storage line or hammock suspension.

It took me three nights to sleep well in the hammock, a year to solve the storage issues and another year to tune the set up/take down order

It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.
- Mark Twain